ARTICLES ABOUT TONI KUKOC BY DATE - PAGE 3

Worn down from a long NBA career and physically unable to play an entire season, Scottie Pippen retired from the NBA on Tuesday. It was right that Pippen was able to retire as a Bull, and not a Rocket or Trailblazer, even if his final injury-marred season was the kind that can damage the public's memory of a fading superstar. That's not likely to happen with Pippen, whose last season was regrettable but still harmless. No, Pippen will likely be remembered for two different things.

The Milwaukee Bucks have re-signed forward Toni Kukoc, a veteran who has spent two productive seasons with the team. Kukoc averaged 9.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in the last two seasons. Terms of Monday's agreement were not disclosed. Milwaukee got Kukoc in the trade that also brought a 2003 first-round draft choice from Atlanta for forward Glenn Robinson. Kukoc, who won an Olympic silver medal for Croatia in 1988, started his pro career with the Bulls in 1994.

Knicks President Isiah Thomas flew to California on Wednesday for a long-shot attempt to woo free agent Kobe Bryant, thus putting the more realistic chance of trading for Jamal Crawford on the backburner. Thomas is expected to fly to Seattle to meet with Crawford, although no date has been scheduled. It's also possible Crawford will visit New York. The Bulls have yet to make a formal offer to Crawford, a restricted free agent who has a qualifying offer for $3.5 million. But the inflated free-agent market--Hedo Turkoglu is the latest to get a huge offer, a $39 million deal from Orlando that San Antonio can match--has management reconsidering its stance on Crawford.

The Bulls' plan for free agency, which began at 11 p.m. Wednesday, will be as no-nonsense as the veteran role players they will attempt to sign. General manager John Paxson will call agents and sell playing time, a young core of talent and an environment of accountability which coach Scott Skiles will insist upon. Here's a look at how some of the Bulls' targets would fit should they sign once the recruiting period ends on July 14. Stephen Jackson: He's an athletic slasher who averaged 18.1 points for Atlanta last season and could start at small forward, enabling the Bulls to slowly develop Luol Deng.

The Bulls' plan for free agency, which began at 11 p.m. Wednesday, will be as no-nonsense as the veteran role players they will attempt to sign. General manager John Paxson will call agents and sell playing time, a young core of talent and an environment of accountability which coach Scott Skiles will insist upon. Here's a look at how some of the Bulls' targets would fit should they sign once the recruiting period ends July 14. Stephen Jackson: He's an athletic slasher who averaged 18.1 points for Atlanta last season and could start at small forward, enabling the Bulls to slowly develop Luol Deng.

After listening to Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Chris Duhon express their excitement to sit in the practice facility Michael Jordan built, Bulls coach Scott Skiles shared an observation. "I grew up 80 miles from here [in La Porte, Ind.]," Skiles said Friday afternoon at the Berto Center. "Being in this building is a thrill for me every day. We felt that in our interviews with them that they would be very appreciative to play here. That's just another thing that we're looking for." Think about general manager John Paxson's three first-round picks as general manager: Gordon, Deng and Kirk Hinrich all come from strong college programs with a huge emphasis on gym rats.

Draft and free-agent time are coming in the NBA, and the Bulls are looking for a tough guy to defend the perimeter, one of those lockdown guys to take the other team's best scorer and not worry about anything else. Someone like Bruce Bowen, Ron Artest or Trenton Hassell. Oops, they had those guys. "Just a coincidence that all of us were there, I guess," said Hassell, who is the Minnesota Timberwolves' defensive specialist in the Western Conference finals. "It's just business, the way it worked out. It's what they say they need and sometimes they want something else.

He's the last Bull standing, and pretty tall, thank you. "I'm still around and contributing," Toni Kukoc says with some satisfaction. "I feel as long as I'm playing productive minutes, I'll play. But if I'm sitting on the bench and not doing anything, then I'll retire. But I still feel pretty good and feel I can contribute." The former Bull was perhaps the principal reason the Milwaukee Bucks still were playing Thursday night in their first-round series with the Detroit Pistons.

Pippen's Yearbook Scottie Pippen at times showed he could be the class of the league, while other times he was the class clown. RedEye takes a look at some of his best moments as a Bull: Class of '97: Teacher's pet NBA Finals vs. Utah, June 11 This cemented Pippen's role as the ultimate sidekick. Who can forget Jordan, weakened by a stomach virus, collapsing in Pippen's arms after draining the game-winning three-pointer in a critical Game 5? Class of '94: Dunce cap, corner, sit Eastern semifinals vs. New York, May 13 Pippen forever will be remembered for sitting out the final 1.8 seconds of this 104-102 win over the Knicks.

From the 1987 day when Jerry Krause traded for a skinny unknown out of Central Arkansas to his homecoming over the weekend, Scottie Pippen has created a mountain of memories and a mess of memorable moments. Here are five of them: June 11, 1997 NBA Finals vs. Utah This 90-88 victory over the Jazz perhaps best cemented Pippen's role as the ultimate sidekick, his Robin to Michael Jordan's Batman. Who can forget Jordan, weakened by a stomach virus, collapsing in Pippen's arms after draining the game-winning three-pointer in a critical Game 5?